Latest Pics of the Magrodome and Atrium

It was another beautiful winter’s day in Marghera, Italy, when Chief Electrician Ed van Weijen took this photo looking aft over the Magrodome retractable roof that covers the Lido area.

Here’s a cool photo Ed took of the spiral stairway in Eurodam’s atrium. The stairs will be of transparent glass, which should give guests the feeling that they are walking on air.

Latest Large Inside Stateroom Rendering

The above rendering is the latest of a large inside stateroom. We mentioned in a previous post that the inside staterooms would have a recess behind the bed decorated with curtains to give the illusion of a window. That feature will be in the standard inside staterooms only. Also, the wall behind the bed will be beige, not blue, as depicted above.

We’re Planning Eurodam’s Inaugural Season

Oosterdam dedication ceremony, Rotterdam, 2003.

As we get nearer to the delivery of Eurodam, the excitement is building. We are receiving lots of e-mails and comments here on Eurodam News Blog asking about the inaugural activities. So we decided to start a series of ENB posts where I will provide a regular update on how our planning for the inaugural events is going.

And there are lots of events planned. There is the dedication in Rotterdam, of course, but there also will be special inaugural season events in Venice, Southampton, Hamburg, Copenhagen, New York, Boston and Quebec. Basically, we’re throwing one long celebration.

Some have asked about why the dedication ceremony is taking place in Rotterdam on July 1, the day before the three-day prelude cruise, instead of before the maiden voyage, which departs from Copenhagen July 5.The reason is because we want to celebrate in our founding city. Rotterdam has been integral to our company for more than 135 years and we wanted to showcase our newest vessel steps away from our original headquarters and our current European head office.

And, while it is sometimes common to have the ceremony just prior to the start of the maiden voyage, having it separate is not at all unusual. Historically, many Holland America Line ships were “launched and named” when the hull first touched water, long before the maiden voyage, and today it is typical to adjust the dedication date depending on a number of factors such as the godmother, ship delivery date changes, itinerary and event planning.

Indeed, in 2003 the Oosterdam was dedicated by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands on July 29 in Rotterdam, and sailed its maiden voyage in early August from Harwich. Our sister company, Carnival Cruise Lines, is bringing out Carnival Splendor less than two weeks after Eurodam, and it is sailing an eight-day cruise from Genoa before its naming ceremony in Dover July 10.

Another question we’ve had from Holland America Line Mariners and aficionados is how can you attend the naming ceremony.

We are planning what is sure to be a spectacular dedication ceremony in what will be a somewhat limited venue in terms of size. The ceremony is by invitation only and to accommodate the desire of Mariners in particular to attend, we have made a limited number of seats available to those booked on the prelude cruise on July 2. We are offering these as a pre-cruise shore excursion that is available for purchase. We hope this balances the limited space while accommodating those who really want to attend. And, just as I wrote this, I checked and seats are still available.

Stay tuned for more information on Eurodam’s inaugural festivities as it becomes available.

Latest Photos of the Dining Room, a Hallway

Just yesterday we received a comment from a reader asking for a photo of the dining room and galley. Chief Electrician Ed van Weijen must be a mind reader because last night he sent a photo of the dining room.

Well, Ed is half a mind reader because instead of a galley shot, he sent this interesting photo of a hallway under construction on one of the cabin decks. Thanks, Ed!

Testing the Mooring Winches

Chief Officer Andre van Schoonhoven sent us the latest photos from the yard. They’ve just completed testing of the mooring winches — the machines that pull the ship to the dock and hold it in place. Here’s how Andre described it:

The mooring winches were tested for their rated power. Rated power is 52 tons of bollard pull, and we got them up to 57 tons on the strain gauge. (Note: a bollard is the strong post on a pier that the mooring line is attached to.) That means they can pull an object of 125,400 lbs!

The test also provided the opportunity for Rolls-Royce, manufacturer of the winches, to adjust all the settings on the electro motors and their control stands.

The winches are equipped with so-called self-tensioning modes, which means that if the strain on a mooring line gets above a certain setting, the winch will pay out the line, rather than breaking it, and when the strain gets lower, it will automatically heave in again.

The testing is performed by putting a steel cable on the winch drum, and putting the other end around the bollards on deck, with the measuring device in between.

That way, the bollards get tested at the same time.

UPDATE: In response to a question from a reader, Andre gave us the lengths of the anchor chains and mooring lines:

The mooring lines are 220 meters long, tip to winch line, manufactured by Lankhorst Sneek. The anchor chains are 364 meters long.

Updated Verandah Stateroom Rendering

This rendering shows the latest impression of the deluxe verandah staterooms on Eurodam. Compare this image with the one we posted back in August. The clarity is impressive. Everything is very detailed, right down to the paintings on the wall.

Latest Rendering of a Deluxe Verandah Suite

We just received the latest batch of updated renderings of staterooms and public rooms on Eurodam. We are going to be posting them daily until we run out of them, so stay tuned.

Compare the new design with the rendering from an earlier post here.

An Artsy View of Eurodam’s Engines

Chief Electrician Ed van Weijen sent us these updated images of Eurodam’s engine room and engine control room. Who knew he had an artistic side as well?

The ship will derive its power from four 12-cylinder V-type and two eight-cylinder (above) in-line engines.

The engine control room, at the heart of the ship, looks like it’s nearly complete.

Chief Officer Andre Tackles a Weighty Subject — The Anchor

A while ago I wrote an article about the anchor and mooring gear, now here’s the follow-up.

Eurodam’s anchors have arrived. To show the size, my height is 186 centimeters (6 feet, 2 inches), so the picture with me standing next to the anchor gives you an idea of its size.

The anchors each weigh 10,580 kilograms, or 23,276 lbs! Each anchor will be attached to 13 lengths of anchor chain. One length is 15 fathoms, or 90 feet long. The attachment of chain to anchor, and for the lengths to each other is done by using connecting links, also know as kenter shackles.

The shackles come in four parts — two halves, one center piece and a locking pin. That way, you can also disconnect it in the future.The reason for this is that the first few lengths of chain are used the most during anchoring.

If they are worn past the allowed specifications, usually after about five to sx years, during the drydock period of the ship the first length is put all the way at the end, length two becomes one, three becomes two, and so forth. That process is called end-for-ending.

The last length of the chain is connected inside the chain locker to a pin, and is called the bitter end. More a rope worker’s term than a knot term, the reference is to the end of a rope that is tied off, hence the expression, “to the bitter end.”

UPDATE: In response to a question from a reader, Andre let us know hos long the anchor chains are: 364 meters.

Rijkaart: Ship Is Preparing for Sea Trials

Pieter Rijkaart
ENB had an opportunity to chat with Blog Board member Pieter Rijkaart, director of newbuilds for Holland America Line, yesterday. He returned from the shipyard last week, and says things are progressing, though he admitted that as the ship enters the last few months of construction, it’s normal for everyone to start to “feel a bit of stress.”

We asked him to talk about the sea trials that are coming up March 28-30 and April 5-9. He told us that following the first, short trials, the ship is relocated to the yard at Trieste, where it is drydocked for six days while the underwater part of the hull is cleaned and painted.

“During sea trials we test all of the technical functions of the ship, the propulsion, the hotel equipment and water distillers, we test all the equipment on board,” said Rijkaart. “For the main diesel engines we conduct what we call an endurance test. We run them at full power for eight hours. If, for some reason, we have to interrupt the test, we make the shipyard start over again.”

He explained that during sea trials, the shipyard still owns the ship and it is a yard captain and executive officers who are in charge. The hundred or so Holland America and Carnival Corporation employees on board can only observe. However, there are about 700 yard employees and subcontractors working throughout the trials to continue with the interior outfitting.

One of the most important parts of the sea trials are the speed trials.

“The contract specifies that the ship is to be capable of a certain service and maximum speed,” said Rijkaart. “We also conduct stopping tests, where we go from full ahead to a dead stop in the water. We simulate problems, such as maneuvering with one propeller — or in this case one Azipod — out of service.”

He said they test steering with one Azipod unit and a number of other scenarios designed to test for stability, maneuverability and safety. They lower lifeboats and perform anchoring tests.

All of these tests are conducted under the watchful eyes of the class society that certifies the ship, in this case, Lloyd’s of London. All the normal functions of the ship are tested and certified as well as emergency and unusual situations any ship at sea could encounter.

But perhaps the most important hours are reserved for the Holland America officers — who will actually be responsible for running the ship when it enters service — to take control and “handle the ship by themselves to start to get used to it,” said Rijkaart.